


Farewells

by alistairweekend



Series: Lyrie Aldavir [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Angst, Backstory, F/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 13:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12321699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistairweekend/pseuds/alistairweekend
Summary: Lyrie found a semblance of happiness in her rather crappy life with a boy named Elias... but she finds out it wasn't meant to last.





	Farewells

The path to the Tatham farm was a humble road, soft and worn from use, yet never host to more than a few travelers at a time. Lyrie had never been much of one for admiring nature, but she always found herself enjoying the pleasant greenery as her feet carried her along. There was no denying the air turned much fresher out here, away from the bustle and stench of Inbrook’s docks.

As the weathered little homestead came into view, Lyrie scanned the pasture for a familiar mop of fluffy, sandy-brown hair. No success. Instead, she found a curly blond heap atop the head of a young boy, no older than ten. He seemed engrossed in the task of brushing the fur of a black goat.

Lyrie perched herself on the fence, looking over her shoulder at the boy. “Hey Hershel. Where’s Elias?”

Hershel glanced up at Lyrie’s words, but quickly returned his gaze to the goat. “Hi Lyrie. Elias’ inside. Talking to Ma and Dad.”

Lyrie let out a thoughtful hum in acknowledgment. She decided to wait. To occupy herself, she brushed her fingers through her dark hair, undoing and redoing the loose braid she kept it in.

It wasn’t long before Elias exited the house. Lyrie’s face brightened and she waved to get his attention, then hopped off the fence to walk up to him.

She waited for him to give her his normal lopsided grin, to break into a faster pace in order to reach her quicker... but his face was flat, eyes trained steadily on her, and he only walked, too slowly. He almost seemed reluctant to make contact with her.

“Elias?” Lyrie’s brow creased in concern. Unease pricked at her heart.

Finally, Elias reached her. He seemed to steel himself, taking a deep breath and breaking his gaze away from her. “Let’s walk,” he suggested.

Lyrie didn’t say anything, only followed. Her mind raced with ideas of what could possibly be wrong, and none of them were comforting.

They traveled back the way Lyrie had come, eventually stopping at an oak tree on the side of the path. Elias leaned against the trunk. Lyrie waited. It was a few moments before he spoke.

“Lyrie, I... I’m leaving.”

Even without elaboration, the words left little room for interpretation. Nonetheless, a part of Lyrie’s brain refused to believe it, and her face contorted to express confusion, silently asking for clarification in the unlikely case that Elias had misspoken, that she had misheard, that he was joking.

Elias remained solemn, but he continued, knowing Lyrie wasn’t one to fill the silence. “I’m going to start a smithing apprenticeship, with my uncle. I don’t even remember the town he lives in, but it’s... far.” He paused, allowing the word to sink in and giving Lyrie a chance to respond. She said nothing. Elias cleared his throat. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t-” Lyrie’s voice cracked, and she bit back her words. Her eyes left Elias for the ground.

“Hey,” Elias said softly, reaching out to grasp Lyrie’s hands. Her jaw clenched, but she took a deep breath.

“Don’t be sorry,” she finally managed to say. Her gaze met his once again, sharp and stern.

His mouth broke into smile -- the kind that made Lyrie’s heart flutter -- albeit a sad one.

***

Lyrie’s residence within the Aldavir estate grounds was a poor excuse for a room. A hastily-constructed expansion of the stables, the enclosed box contained a mat of straw, a makeshift shelf, and a chest for anything that didn’t fit on the shelf. After becoming acclimated to the “real” world in town, Lyrie became aware of just how abysmal her situation was, but she found no use in complaining about it. Some day, things would be better. She had to believe that.

Nearly a week after Elias had given the news, Lyrie awoke in the middle of the night to a sharp tap on the roof above her. A few seconds later, another one. Lyrie frowned. It must have been Elias throwing rocks to get her attention, as he usually did when he came to visit... but why was he here so late?

Lyrie rolled off the straw mat and opened the chest to grab a scratchy woolen shawl, draping it around her shoulders as she headed to the front gate. Sure enough, Elias was there, visible on the other side of the wrought iron bars. “Lyrie!” he called in a strained whisper.

She went up to him, carefully opening the gate a crack and slipping out. “What’s going on?” she asked, confused.

“I-I have to go in a few hours. Parents want me to get an early start on the road. I had to see you before I left.”

“What?” Lyrie’s heart constricted. He had told her he would leave after one week, but it hadn’t truly sunk in yet. She thought she would have time to prepare herself before having to say goodbye. Her mouth hung open slightly, her normally composed expression giving way to her true emotions.

Elias saw this and instantly looked pained. He reached to cup Lyrie’s face with a hand. “I came to ask you something, though.” His hand brushed away a few strands of unkempt hair, then lowered to take her hands in his. “Come with me.” There was a hint of a sparkle in his eyes now, a trace of his usual grin on his face.

Lyrie blinked. “What?” she repeated, this time louder.

“Run away with me. You don’t deserve this, Lyrie,” he said earnestly, gesturing at the stables through the gate, overshadowed by the mansion looming above. “I want you to be happy. And I thought maybe... you could be happy far away from here... with me.”

Lyrie felt short of breath. Freedom beckoned. The chance was holding her hands at this very moment. There was nothing physically stopping her -- she was already outside the gate, her mother would be none the wiser if she just slipped into the night with Elias here and now. There was an unspoken promise in Elias’ offer as well; not just to help her escape but to build a _life_ with her. A family. Such an idyllic existence had only existed in daydreams Lyrie had never admitted to having to anyone.

She wanted to do it.

Then a single word crossed her mind: _Fie_. Instinctively, Lyrie turned to look back at the estate. Her sister would be sentenced to a life under their mother’s thumb if Lyrie left. The very thought inspired gut-wrenching guilt within her.

“...I’m sorry,” Lyrie whispered, turning back to Elias. She desperately fought back the sob rising in her throat.

Elias’ lips went tight and he closed his eyes, slowly nodding. “I know. I can’t ask you to leave Fie.”

A moment passed, Elias simply gripping Lyrie’s hands, Lyrie gritting her teeth and trying not to cry. Then he took a breath and let go. Her hands had never felt so cold.

“I made you something, to remember me by,” Elias said, a small waver in his voice. He reached for his belt and unhooked an object -- as he brought it out, it became clear it was a sword. “I-It’s not the prettiest, but...”

Elias gently gave Lyrie the weapon. Moonlight highlighted the silvery metal in the sheath, and the hilt caught her attention. It wasn’t the most ornate rapier hilt, but it was clearly crafted with care. Studying it more closely, suddenly Lyrie’s eyes widened. “Is that-?”

Something twinkled a little too brightly, nestled in the curves of the hilt. Elias smiled somewhat wistfully. “Family heirloom. It wasn’t doing much of anything for anyone just sitting in a box, so I made a use for it. Mother probably won’t even notice it’s gone.”

Lyrie had to laugh as she rotated the sword, allowing the sapphire to catch the light again.

“I should get going,” Elias reminded Lyrie as soon as she was done. “If... when... we see each other again... I’ll make an even better sword for you.”

All Lyrie could do was nod. _If_. “Thank you,” she managed.

Elias leaned in and placed a kiss on Lyrie’s cheek. His next words were a faint murmur, but they couldn’t have been clearer: “I love you.”

Before Lyrie could respond, he was gone, his form dwindling in the distance. Lyrie stared after him, for how long she couldn’t be sure. Eventually, she numbly shuffled back to her room, clutching the rapier to her chest. When she got inside, she sank to her knees, and with that, the tears fell.


End file.
